The Fifth Column

19th April 1998

No replay

My Dear Arjuna

I thought I must write to you at a time when everyone is criticising you. If memory serves me right, Arjuna, I last wrote to you just over two years ago, when these same people were praising you after you had won the World Cup.

I think you will admit that it was the highest point of your career as a sportsman. When you reach such heights from where you can go no further, you can only fall. And when that happens, there will always be people to blame you.

As you probably know by now, Arjuna, we Sri Lankans have very short memories. We are a nation which discards one government after five years if they are given the chance to do it. But another five years later they will happily re-elect it, forgetting all it did when it ruled previously

With such short memories, it is not surprising, Arjuna, that they will now forget everything that you did just because you have lost a few matches in South Africa.

But what surprises me, Arjuna, is that these same people who cry foul when you fail to perform on a couple of days will grin and bear it for years when others fail to perform year after year.

If you know what I mean, Arjuna, you will realise that those who promised us heaven and earth over the past few years have yet to honour those promises.

Their performances have been consistent in one aspect - they have always been below expectations. They didn't abolish the Executive Presidency, they didn't provide us with the transparency they promised, they didn't end the war and they didn't give us bread at three fifty. But Arjuna, no one - not even the other side - is calling for their resignation. If you have any doubt about this, Arjuna, you have only got to ask your father !

But that's the way it is, Arjuna. Unfortunately, in the games of war and politics, there is no Third Umpire to look at a replay and declare you 'out' if you fall short of the mark. If that was possible, a lot of our present day players would have been 'out' long, long ago!

But you need not worry, Arjuna. There may be those who call for your resignation, but there are also those of us who remember your acts of courtesy well. In accepting the World Cup, we remember how you thanked Wasim and Azhar for bringing a team to Sri Lanka, when Australia and the West Indies stayed away from Colombo. We also remember how you took the World Cup and went to Gamini Dissanayake's house even though he was no more, just to say "Thank You" for all that he had done. Those were the deeds of a gentleman, Arjuna and we admire you for that.

So, take heart, Arjuna. Just of late you and your team seem to back to your winning ways. So, best of luck!

Yours truly

Punchi Putha

Rajpal Abeynayake's Column

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